Wells has faith in ‘new’ group

Adelaide 36ers head coach Mike Wells has finally got a fully fit and firing roster ahead of Friday night’s trip to RAC Arena to battle Perth Wildcats.

For only the sixth time in NBL25, the 36ers played with a full roster in Monday night’s 91-88 win against Illawarra Hawks at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

The 36ers had five games earlier in the season with a full squad, but Wells said import forward Jarell Martin was still working back into the main rotation.

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“We have a very talented roster,” Wells said this week.

“We haven’t had our full roster yet, even back in November Jarell (Martin) was still making his way back.

“(Monday night) the first version of us with Sunday (Dech) coming back.”

Dech returned after missing the past seven matches with a hamstring injury against the Hawks and now will face another battle against former championships teammate Bryce Cotton.

Wells said the potential for his side moving forward has him optimistic for the remainder of the regular season, Adelaide already winning three of the four matches in the 2025 calendar year.

“Our roster and where we are at right now is super exciting,” Wells said.

“We have not seen the best version of this team.”

Wells knows the equation for the 36ers in the next seven matches, with five games on the road, starting with a double header this weekend.

“We need to move on quickly and focus on a really tough game on Friday night,” Wells said.

“This season is short, we need to make the most of our opportunities.

“We want to be in the finals, and we have got to win to do that. We got to stack some wins, and we have won three out of four (in 2025).

“We have found something here in 2025. Now, we got to get ready for the next one.”

Adelaide will be back in action on Friday night when the 36ers travel to RAC Arena to battle Perth Wildcats.